A/N: I don't own Code Geass or Batman Beyond. They are awesome works that are not owned by me.
Also, I like to make the note that this will be the last chapter I will post for a while. I'll explain at the end of the chapter. So enjoy this one.
Rivalz walked through the halls of Ashford over to the student council room to watch some broadcast made by the Second Prince.
He heard rumors of what it was going to be about: the Britannian military found the culprit behind the Emperor's disappearance, a new Emperor was gonna be decided, a new area was conquered, another prince died. And so on.
Though Rivalz never really cared about much of that recently. What was on his mind was where all his friends were now.
Milly had graduated and taken a job as a reporter, he'd never miss a chance to ever see her on television. She was always energetic and excited to get the scoop on some big scandal, and that made her perfect for the gig.
Shirley had died months ago. The poor girl committed suicide. At least that's what the reports say, but he couldn't believe it.
Nina was also missing. Ever since that whole explosion months ago, she'd gone off the grid and he hasn't heard of her since.
Last he heard, Suzaku was still in the military being the knight of seven. So it must keep the guy busy all the time to keep the Empire safe.
Kallen was most likely still in the Black Knights, or dead. He was still shocked beyond belief to figure out that the sickly Kallen Stadtfeld was a member of a military organization.
He hadn't heard anything about Rolo either, he tried his cell a couple of times but he wouldn't answer. He began to get worried.
But the most he was worried about was Lelouch. Last he heard from him was after the explosion, when he said he wouldn't be able to set off fireworks with everyone else. That had caused him to grow concerned that Lelouch was in some kind of trouble. He also knew that Shirley's death hit him the hardest. Though he never returned Shirley's feelings, he could tell Lelouch cared a lot about her. So Lelouch must be somewhere, hurting because of her death.
He just wished he could talk to him and make sure he was alright. But every call he ever made got directed to voicemail. He could only pray that Lelouch wasn't in any deep trouble.
As he entered the council room, a flood of old memories came to his mind. How Milly would launch insane plans and schemes for her amusement. How he and Lelouch would sneak off to a high stakes gambling match. And how Shirley would try to stop them. Those were happier memories of a happier time.
Times where the only thing they had to worry about was how to survive Milly's plans for everyone. Oh, how he honestly missed those days. But they were in the past, the one place where a man can never go.
As he turned on the TV and sat down at the council room's table, he wondered what kind of announcement the Empire would give today. He hoped it was something that would resolve all these issues so that they could return to the good old days.
When the broadcast began he was surprised with what he saw.
The background was that of the Viceroy office of the new palace, which was similar to the one that was in the Britannian throne room back at the palace in the homeland. Which wasn't surprising considering this is royalty.
What was surprising was that the top staff of the Black Knights was standing beside Prince Schneizel. Which was odd considering that the army had lost their leader to him a few months ago.
So why were they standing with the second prince? Did they agree over these past months? It would explain why there haven't been any large battles since that explosion. Or was It something else.
After a moment, the second prince stepped forward and began his address.
"Citizens of the Holy Britannian Empire, I come to all today to give you great news. As of last night, we have discovered the one who has taken our glorious Emperor from us! We have him in custody and bring him forth to face execution! Bring him in."
On the television, the royal guards began to haul in a figure dressed in prisoner grabs. He held his face down, obscuring his features until a royal guard lifted his head for the cameras, and the whole world, to see.
When he got a good look at his face, Rivalz shot up in his seat and screamed at the top of his lungs.
"WWWWWHHHHHHHAAAAAAAATTTTTTT?!"
(Happening at the same time)
Though the story of the year was playing on the TV in front of her, Milly could not focus on it as she stared at her phone. Her thoughts were on what Suzaku said moments before the broadcast began.
What did he have planned? Why hadn't he told Milly to report what she saw to the world? Why did he want her to wait for this mysterious signal from Lelouch and Suzaku?
Speaking of Lelouch: What was he up to? She hadn't heard from him in months. And Suzaku said that he and Lelouch had figured this out together. What on earth were those two up to?
She put those thoughts aside as she turned her head to the screen when she heard one of her fellow reporters gasped…
And she did so when she saw who it was they were dragging.
(At the same time)
If there was one word, to sum up, what Jerimaih Gottwald was, it was loyal. That's the answer you would get if you asked someone else. If you asked him directly, he would say failure.
Because in his mind, that's all he was. An absolute failure.
He failed to protect his Empress Marianne nearly a decade ago. He failed to uphold his duties of a purest in his citizens' eyes. And most recently, he failed in his duty to protect both prince Lelouch and princess Nunnally. The princess died in the explosion by that warhead months ago and her brother followed suit. He demanded to see the body but the Black Knights refused all his attempts.
He had considered leaving them, but where would he go? What place does the world have with a disgraced purest and cyborg failure? So he stayed, yet he hadn't done much work.
When he saw the broadcast, he was shocked that the high command of his Highness' army was in league with his enemy brother. But what shocked him, even more, was the person the guards were dragging.
"Lelouch vi Britannia!" Schneizel announced. "The eleventh prince of Britannia and the seventeenth in line for the throne murdered our glorious Emperor!"
As soon as he made his statement, the Nobility burst into conversation. For all they knew, Lelouch vi Britannia died years ago during Britannia's invasion of Japan. Yet here he stood, alive, and accused of murdering His Majesty.
"For the past decade," Schneizel continued, despite the murmurings, "My brother has been in hiding from Britannia, planning his revenge to retake the throne. His claim to the throne was removed and he was stripped of his royalty. He has murdered our Emperor in an attempt to take the throne for himself. And he has even attempted to kill me, his brother, to remove any opposition he may have."
At this, the Britannians around the world exploded in outrage.
This boy, this commoner blood, believed he could take the throne of Britannia through tactics like that! Though that is how most people do take the throne, the public just doesn't realize it.
"But I cannot take all the credit for capturing this upserper." Schneizel declared, shocking those present. He then gestured with his hand toward the Black Knights commanders behind him.
"That goes to the members of the Black Knights who gave me knowledge and warning of my brother's survival and goal." At that, Ohgi stepped forward. Schneizel held out his hand and Ohgi grasped it in a firm handshake. The action caused the world to turn to shock again.
"Due to the Black Knights deed," Schneizel began as he released Ohgi's grip as the Japanese man went back to where he was standing, "I have decided to enter into a ceasefire with them as we negotiate how best to repay then for their actions."
Though that would be true, all this e present in the broadcast already knew what the Black Knights were getting from this deal. Japan.
"But first things first," Schneizel said as he looked down upon his brother who was bound in a straight jacket. The features on Lelouch's face were emotionless, he was neither angry, happy, sad, scared, etc.
His soul though was that of defeat. He was careless, arrogant, and selfish. He thought that if he put his own life on the line from here on, then he could atone for his crimes. But instead, he was gonna die at the hands of his brother who he could never beat. He put his ego over the reality of the fact that he couldn't take Schneizel down alone.
"We must deal with this attempted upserper," Schneizel said, grinning at the state of his brother. He then turned toward the camera, and asked: "What do you say Britannia?"
The response he got from most of the populace was roars of agreement that the traitor should be killed. Though some were of mercy, mainly the ones at Ashford, and a certain cyborg soldier.
"DEATH TO THE TRAITOR!"
"DEATH TO THE TRAITOR! DEATH TO THE MURDERER OF OUR GLORIOUS EMPEROR!"
Came the cries of all the nobles in the Viceroy Palace throne room.
Smiling, Schneizel declared, "Very well! Death to the traitor!"
At those words, the royal guards slammed Lelouch on the ground and held him there. The executioner got into place and held his blade high to smote off the head of the exiled prince.
While this was happening, Kallen stood by the hallway where the guards emerged with Lelouch moments earlier. Her heart and mind were in a hurricane of chaos.
When she went to see him, she begged for an answer, any answer to the question that plagued her for months. But he remained silent, and Kallen took that as a sign that she truly was nothing but a pawn to him.
But when she was about to leave, he called out to her. His voice was pleading as if begging her not to leave him, and his eyes mirrored the same want and emotions that she held. He looked as if he wanted to say more, but fate denied him as the guards took him to where he is now.
She needed to know, no matter the consequences that would befall her if she spoke up now. She needed her answer before the only one who could give them was taken from this earth.
She was about to call out when someone beat her to the punch.
"STOP!"
The whole populace of the throne room and the cameras turned to the source of the interruption. And those that knew who the source was opened their mouths in confusion.
There, standing in the middle of the doorway, wearing the same clothes he had when he served under his princess as her knight, was Suzaku Kururugi.
Those on the throne room held looks of confusion at his interruption. Schneizel merely frowned in annoyance. But the one that blew all the looks away was the face Lelouch held. His usually calm, and emotionless mask was broken, and in its place was the face of a man who was completely taken off guard. His eyes were wide, and his mouth was hung wide open.
"May I ask, what is the meaning of this interruption Sir Kururugi?" Schneizel voiced out everyone's thoughts. Though if one looked closely, they could see that the Second Prince's eyebrows were irked in a way that showed complete irritation.
Suzaku merely stood there for a few moments, refusing to answer. Getting irritated by the Japanese Knight's silence, Schneizel repeated. "What are you doing?" his tone was more grim than last.
Finally, Suzaku responded, "I wish to be the one to kill the traitor myself." This caused another round of shocked gasps in the audience watching the broadcast.
Schneizel then gave the boy a puzzled look. "Explain?" He demanded.
Suzaku straightened himself as he began. "I was personally associated with this boy for the past 10 years," He explained, "such that I had the chance to end this threat life at any point in time but I hesitated and it caused the Emperor to die by his hands. Therefore I wish to make up for that mistake by killing him here now."
Schneizel wanted to say no, yet he couldn't, and he knew why. The fact that Kururugi was dressed in the uniform he wore when he served Euphemia meant that he was doing this for revenge. Smiling at how funny fate is, Schneizel replied, "Very well, do as you please."
The executioner moved out of the way as Suzaku came up and stood over Lelouch. Lelouch for his part was shocked, then dipped his head down in despair. If he was gonna die, at least it was by the hands of a friend.
Suzaku pulled out his sword and raised it high above his head. For a long moment, complete silence enveloped the whole room. So much that you could hear the tense breathing from Suzaku.
"Lelouch vi Britannia," the Knight began, grip tightening around his handle, "By the authority and judgment I have as a Knight of Britannia, I sentence you…"
What he said next stopped the world in its tracks.
"TO LIVE!"
Lelouch's eyes snapped open when he heard the word as he also felt the bonds holding him in his straight jacket be cut loose. What just happened?!
Looking up he saw Suzaku had delivered a spin kick to the executioner's face, knocking him down. He then slashed with his sword at the two holding them down, taking their lives. All the while, Lelouch stared in awe of his friend's action.
The two's eyes met. "What are you doing sitting there looking like that for?!" Suzaku called his friend, snapping him out of his daze. "Stand up and help me fight our way out of this!" Lelouch's eyes widened even more.
Suzaku Kururugi, the Japanese who believed he could change everything if he worked within the system. Had committed terrible acts of betrayal against his country and friends to advance in the system. Had just thrown it all away to save the life of the man who took the woman he loved away from him. For one of the rare times in his life, Lelouch was beyond stunned.
"You blasted traitor!" A royal guard shouted as he charged toward Suzaku with a lance. Lelouch wasn't sure he deserved a friend like Suzaku, but he was dang sure he was gonna lose him by doing nothing. Acting fast, he swept his leg under the guard, gripped his staff, then knocked him out with a stomp to his face.
Straightening himself up and kicking off the sharp end of the lance, he swung the staff, striking the next guard in the face. Then he used the stick to poke and strike multiple parts of the guard's body. When he knocked the guard away, he turned toward Suzaku.
The Japanese knight was in a battle of strength with the executioner he knocked down earlier. However, the larger man knocked the sword from Suzaku's grasp and raised his blade.
"Suzaku!" Lelouch called as he threw the staff toward his friend. The boy caught the weapon and swung the end of it up in the blink of an eye in the crown jewels of the man in front of him.
Lelouch and those present and watching cringed slightly at the reaction of the man. Suzaku then delivered another spin kick that was able to knock the man down again.
The two friends smiled at each other. Their short moment was ruined when the more guards came in to surround the two. Quickly moving so they were back-to-back, the two prepared to fight their way out of this.
When the guards finished gathering, Suzaku gave a menacing smirk. "You know Lelouch, I think they want more?"
Lelouch could only respond with a devious smirk of his own. "Well then Suzaku, let's give it to them."
As the guards charged, Suzaku handed Lelouch the wooden staff. Taking the weapon, Lelouch spun in a 360-degree angle, smacking the faces of all the charging guards. The two then sprung into action.
To those who didn't know Lelouch personally, they would only be amazed that a teenager was able to stand up to the royal guards. To those that knew Lelouch as the boy who couldn't even outrun a woman in a dress…
Well… Let's just say their reaction was interesting, to say the least.
But no one's reaction came close to the face Rivalz held on his face. The teen's jaw had sunken, threw the earth, came out of the other side, and kept going to and past Pluto.
His mind had gone a total blank. Lelouch was his best friend, and he knew he was smart, and that he had a taste of nobility, that much he could tell by the way he walked and talked. But he never would have guessed that he was an exiled prince!
But there was another reason why he was shocked. One that made his mind be absolutely space of white.
"SINCE WHEN COULD LELOUCH FIGHT LIKE THAT?!" Rivalz howled.
The staff Lelouch was using broke as he swung it viciously hard against a guard's face. It briefly reminded him of when he smashed the brick in the face of the Britannian man he saved the McGinnis family. Ah, memories.
As he looked around the number of Royal guards he and Suzaku took down, he noticed that one was still standing. Looking over to Suzaku, a knowing look in his green eyes, he nodded.
Getting into position, Suzaku charged Lelouch at full speed. Then before they collided, they each threw their right elbows into each other. Using the momentum from the speed, Lelouch used his newly gained body muscle to throw Suzaku into the air into the direction of the guard.
Now in midair, Suzaku delivered his signature spin kick toward the face of the last guard standing, knocking him down. Standing straight up again, the former Honorary Britannian knight gazed at the exiled prince of Britannia. The two friends smiled at each other.
However, their moment was ruined when the sound of clapping and guns cocking filled the room. Quickly moving back to back, the two then found themselves surrounded by all the Black Knights present, minus Kallen, holding automatic firearms. And all of them were pointed towards the two of them.
The clapping came from none other than the white Prince of Britannia himself. "A wonderful display of how you've grown and improved Lelouch, very impressive. However, I'm afraid that your demonstration ends now. As well as your interference as well: former knight of Seven."
The odds weren't looking pretty. At most, between the two of them, they could take out at least over half the Black Knights before one of the bullets hit both of them. So they needed an escape route and fast.
"Got any bright ideas?" Lelouch whispered to the friend that stood behind him, back-to-back.
"No," Suzaku said bluntly, back to his friend, "Isn't it you who usually comes up with the brilliant plans for getting out of tricky situations?"
Lelouch sighed as the guns leveled on them.
"READY!" Tohdoh ordered the Knights present, they did so.
Suzaku then reached behind his knight coat and pulled something out. "But I do have this." Lelouch took a glance and his eyes widened.
His utility belt! He looked up to Suzaku in shock, who just smirked. 'Suzaku you naive genius!' Lelouch thought as he subtly took the belt and reached inside for the exact thing he needed.
"AIM!" Lelouch gripped the object tight in his hands.
"Close your eyes!" Lelouch ordered. Suzaku did so.
"FI-" Tohdoh didn't get to finish as in the blink of an eye, Lelouch threw down the object from his belt. And immediately, a bright blinding light emerged where the two were now standing. Everyone then heard the faint sound of a grapple firing, and a line being retracted.
When the blinding light finally ceased, everyone saw that the duo vanished.
"Spread out!" Ohgi ordered. "Find the fugitives before they escape the palace!"
"Lookdown the entire palace!" Schneizel ordered. "Keep anyone from both entering and leaving the palace!"
Suddenly the palaces emergency system went off. The doors entering the throne room suddenly shut, cutting anyone off from leaving or entering. At first, the Knights believed this to be part of the lockdown, however, Schneizel's words made them think otherwise.
"This isn't right!" Schneizel voiced out, catching everyone by surprise. "The lockdown isn't supposed to extend to the throne room in this situation! Kanon, what's happening?!"
"I- I'm not sure Your Highness?!" Kanon stuttered as he brought up a tablet. "It appears someone has hacked into the security system and activated the lockdown on the throne room and the knight's room. Everywhere else in the palace is accessible, including the Knightmare hanger!"
Schneizel growled in frustration. For once in that boy's time of service, Kururugi had thought of a decent plan instead of just running in like an idiot.
"Hey!" Tamaki suddenly called. "Where's Kallen?!"
'That probably was the signal.' Milly thought as the blinding light appeared on the television screen. She was always one for insane plans, but even she had to admit, that was the craziest plan she ever saw anyone do.
And Lelouch, boy oh boy has he changed! He used to not be able to run laps in the gym to save his life, not that he ever attended gym class. But even her in a dress was able to outrun him. And now here he was taking down royal guards.
Pushing the insane actions of Suzaku and the new Lelouch out of her mind, she made her way to a broadcast room.
As she kicked down the door, she ran up to the main man. "Ms. Ashford!" The man asked in surprise. "Please leave the room for a moment! We have a major story-"
"I know!" Milly cut him off. And then she gave her famous smile that meant she was up to something devious. "But have I got a story for you!"
After making it to the cell block area, Lelouch proceeded to grab the remainder of his suit. The lockdown protocol that they were able to activate, thanks to the little security and Suzaku's former position as a Knight of the Round bought them some time. But not a whole lot of it. They needed to move fast!
Their next stop was the hanger. They encountered resistance as they made their way, but between the two of them, they were able to make quick work of the little annoyances.
Finally, they made it to the large and spacious room. Knightmares of every kind were all around them, mostly the most advanced kinds of frames. But the one they needed was the one and only Lancelot.
Making their way past the metallic giants, they almost made it to the gigantic machine when the sound of gunfire ringed around them.
Quickly moving into cover behind one of the Knightmares legs, Lelouch pulled out a Batarang to use to disarm their obstacle. However, before he could even raise his hand, the shooter called out to them and held a familiar voice.
"Lelouch!" Kallen shouted in the direction of the Knightmares legs. "I know you're back there! Just… Please come out so we can talk! I won't hurt you!"
Lelouch looked over to Suzaku. The latter held a weary-eyed look that told him that they should leave. But Lelouch didn't listen, he needed to talk to Kallen properly, without anyone listening or anything like that. Besides, he wanted to see her anyway.
Lelouch gave off sign language that told him to go and get the Lancelot ready for flight. Suzaku nodded in confirmation and made his way down to the Knightmare, while Lelouch stepped out of the shadows of the leg.
"Take the dang mask off Lelouch!" Kallen ordered as she saw him. She wanted answers, and she wanted them from the real Lelouch. The one without masks, both figuratively and literally.
Allowing her to wish to be granted Lelouch grabbed the top of the cowl and pulled the fabric from his face, revealing a set of violet eyes and smooth white skin. Seeing him do it himself made Kallen even more convinced that Lelouch was Batman.
"Hello, Kallen." He said softly as he smiled. It wasn't one of those false smiles he would give at schools, or those demonic grins when he had a devious idea. But a genuine smile, like the ones he used when he was around Nunnally.
Such was its power and sincerity that Kallen couldn't help but smile herself. "Hey, Lelouch." She replied.
A few moments passed in silence before Lelouch spoke again. "Are you gonna have a conversation with me keep that thing pointing at my head, or are you gonna put it down?" He asked, referring to the gun still in her hand and pointing toward his brain.
"Oh! Uh…" Kallen blushed slightly, embarrassed that she was still holding him at gunpoint. Slowly, she lowered her hands.
"That's better," Lelouch said truthfully. 'Now I don't have to worry about getting my head blown off.' He spoke in his mind but refused to say aloud.
"I want answers, Lelouch!" Kallen ordered, pulling Lelouch from his thoughts. "And I expect you to give them to me!"
Lelouch sighed."Very well," He conceded. He then looked up at the corners of the ceiling and frowned. "But first…"
He then pulled out multiple Batarangs. Kallen brought her pistol up instantly, but Lelouch either didn't notice or care. Aiming, he then threw the bat-shaped objects toward the cameras in the hanger.
"There!" Lelouch said as he turned back to face Kallen, "Now we can talk without interruptions. Ask whatever question you want and I will answer truthfully."
"Is Suzaku really under your Geass?" Kallen asked. She always might have thought that Lelouch put a command on his best friend, but she didn't want to believe that.
"Yes," Lelouch said bluntly, "But it's not what you think. The Geass command I placed on him was to 'live'. He was my best friend, and he was extremely suicidal. So I placed that command on him so he wouldn't get himself killed. But he considers that command a curse more than anything."
"So that's it?" Kallen asked disbelief filled her voice and face.
"Yes, his thoughts and his actions up to this point have been his own. I lied about placing him under my command so that he wouldn't die. I was fine with dying alone, but not him. I would never Geass anyone to follow me, otherwise, I would be no different from my father." His voice turned deadly when he spoke about that. It then softened slightly. "But now that I've lost my Geass that won't be a problem anymore."
"Wh-what?!" Kallen stuttered. Did she just hear that correctly?
"Yes," Lelouch answered her unsaid question. "I've lost my Geass. C.C. destroyed the World of C to prevent another bearer of Geass from trying to do what my parents were doing. As a result, anyone related to the power of Geass lost their powers and their immortality. Including me. See for yourself, I'm not wearing any contacts."
Kallen moved over to him and placed her hands on his smooth face. She then checked his eyes and confirmed that he wasn't blocking his Geass with any contacts. She then became conscious of how close she was to his face, blushed, and backed away.
"You don't believe me?" Lelouch asked with a raised eyebrow. The look in her eyes was all the answer he needed. "I understand. I get it if you don't believe me or trust me anymore. I did all that to myself, so I can't blame you or anyone else for that."
Kallen's eyes widened. Did she just hear that right? Lelouch vi Britannia, was admitting his faults? Under usual circumstances, she would smile deviously and slightly tease him for it. But something stopped her, it was his voice. In his voice, he heard regret and sadness for his actions. Not that he didn't have any of it before, but this was the first time she heard it come from his voice.
Shaking her mind from those thoughts, she focused on the questions she still had for the revolution turned vigilante. "What did you tell me to live on the Ikaruga?" she asked, no begged.
Lelouch sighed. It was time to tell her the truth. "Because I didn't want you to die!" His voice was beginning to break, tears were gathering in his eyes. "I had lost Shirley, the C.C. I knew it was gone, and Nunnally was just taken from me. I couldn't bear it losing one more person! Especially not you!"
Kallen's eyes were sparkling with hope. Could it be? Could it be that she meant something to Lelouch? Something more than just a pawn, a subordinate, a soldier, or even a friend?
"Lelouch," she said softly as she placed a hand over his red bat symbol.
"Kallen," Lelouch said softly as he placed his hand over hers, gently holding it. They smiled at each other. Then, in the corner of Lelouch's eyes, he saw something, and his eyes widened.
"LOOK OUT!" He shouted as he pulled Kallen to his side as the gunshot fired and the bullet meant for Kallen's head went into Lelouch's left shoulder! He cursed at the pain as he pulled out a Batarang and threw it at the shooter. The Batarang went into the man's eyes, he howled in pain as he slumped to the floor.
At that, the Black Knights came in, along with the Royal guard and Schneizel. When they saw that Lelouch was holding Kallen, their eyes went venomous.
"GET AWAY FROM HER YOU DEMON!" Ohgi shouted as he fired at the masked vigilante, others following suit. Acting quickly, Batman fired his thrusters and flew him and Kallen to safety behind one of the Knightmares!
Suddenly, a row of Knightmares in front of them collapsed! And emerging was the Lancelot with the flight enabling system. "Batman!" Suzaku called from the frames speakers. "All systems are green! Let's get out of here!"
Lelouch looked down at Kallen for a moment before he frowned apologetically. "I'm so sorry!" He whispered as he pulled his mask over his face.
Then, when the firing ceased for a moment, he threw her out of the shielding of the Knightmares legs, while reaching into his belt and grabbing a few circular objects. Then, he threw them toward the group of shooters. The objects exploded in a cloud of smoke, confusing the pursuers.
Batman then pulled out his grapple, aimed it toward the Lancelot, then fired! The line was able to wrap around the Lancelot's right hand. He gave one last, longing, glance toward Kallen, before being pulled up to the Lancelot.
The Lancelot began to maneuver around the soldiers attempting to stop it. When it made its way to the exit, Suzaku activated the float system and took off into the night away from the palace.
Kallen watched as the Lancelot, and the man she loved, flew away from her before she got a solid answer again.
"KALLEN!" Ohgi called as he ran up to her and began to frantically look over her for any injuries. He sighed when he saw she had none. "Are you okay!? What did he do to you?!"
"Nothing!" Kallen shouted as she backed away from the man. "He saved me from getting shot in the head by one of the Royal guards!"
"W- what?!" He stuttered in disbelief as he looked over to the second Prince. He then shook his head. "You must have been seeing thin-"
"NO!" Kallen shouted. "I know what I saw! A Britannia royal guard pointed a gun towards my head! And Lelouch saved me by taking the bullet in his shoulder! He also saved me when you began to fire recklessly at us! Don't try to see Schneizel in a good light because he promised us Japan!"
Ohgi held disbelief on his features at Kallen's fury and her temper with him. He knew it was never wise to get on the bad side of a woman, he ended up getting shot because he angered a woman.
While this was going on, Tohdoh walked up to the second Prince and his aid. "We need to scramble the Knightmares!" He demanded. "Before they get out of reach!"
"Not to worry," Schneizel stated calmly. The tone of his voice caused the ever stoic Tohdoh to stare at the man in disbelief. "They won't be getting very far in that machine. Kanon," he turned to his ever-faithful aid, "Did the mechanics do as I instructed them?"
"Yes, Your Highness!" Kanon reported as he bowed before his Prince. "When you gave the order out they immediately went to work!"
"Good," Schneizel replied, smiling as he stared back out to the direction when the Lancelot was flying. "Contact the Knights! Let them know they have the okay to pursue the Lancelot. And let them know that they can bring the traitors alive… or dead."
"Dang it!" Suzaku shouted from the cockpit of the Lancelot as he looked over the systems. How could he have been so careless?!
"What's wrong?" Lelouch called from outside the cockpit on Lancelot's right shoulder.
"The energy filler is nearly dead!" Suzaku reported as he began shutting down all unnecessary systems to conserve as much power. "Schneizel must have known I would be up to something and made sure to at least weaken our escape chances! How could I have not seen this coming!"
"Trust me, I know the feeling well!" Lelouch called, trying to comfort his friend, but also remembering that his plans got ruined all the time because of Suzaku and the Lancelot. "How much time do we have?"
"Should be enough to get us back to the Bat-bunker," Suzaku stated. "But I didn't have enough time to disable the IFF signal in the Lancelot, so we should probably set her down somewhere a distance away and disable it, but we should probably have a backup ride in case we run out of power."
"On it!" Lelouch called as he pressed a button on his belt. A red light began blinking steadily, meaning it received the signal and was on its way now. 'Its top speed is Mach 3.' Lelouch thought, 'We just have to stay out of sight for a little while. Hopefully, it can find us before-'
Lelouch's thoughts were cut off when he heard a familiar sound coming from behind him. Turning around his white eyes widened. "Suzaku hard right!" Lelouch ordered.
He braced himself as Suzaku followed the command, activating the magnetic setting in his boots. Even still, he was almost flung off the Lancelot by its sudden movement as it dodged a Hadron cannon blast. The red streak of energy nearly moved past them and hit the top part of a building being constructed.
Swinging around to the origin of the blast, the duo was met with the sight of the Mordred, Tristan, and Galahad. The personal Knightmare Frames of the Knights of Six, Three, and, One respectively.
Suzaku growled as he gazed at the Knightmare owned by the knight whose position he strives to gain for over a year. How things have changed since that time of naive ideals.
Suddenly, the transmission from said Knightmare connected with the Lancelot, and then the face of Bismarck Walsted appeared before him. His eye, once stapled shut was now wide open, and glaring at the former Knight of Seven.
"Suzaku Kururugi," Bismarck growled, "By order of His Highness, Schneizel el Britannia, you are hereby charged with treason, the murder of the Emperor, and in aiding in the escape of a fugitive! Stand down now, and your death will be quick and painful. Refuse, and it will become long and the greatest pain imaginable!"
Suzaku looked over to Lelouch from the Knightmare's camera system. The masked individual gave a knowing grin, meaning he had exactly what the Japanese boy had in mind. Grinning himself, Suzaku turned to face the Knight of One.
"Sorry," he said with a mock apologetic tone, "But I'm gonna have to choose option three." With that, he activated the afterburner on his Knightmare and charged toward the three frames.
Acting quickly, the Knights were able to move out of the way as the Lancelot broke their formation, and flew past them. "LIVE!" Suzaku responded as he then fired the VARIS rifle at his former comrades.
The Knights were able to dodge the energy blast with ease. However, the attack kept them from returning fire.
"FOOLISH CHILD!" Bismarck shouted as he charged the white frame and began swinging his giant sword. "Do you truly believe you can defeat three rounds that all rank above you?!"
"Only one way to find out!" Suzaku called as he moved away from the swinging slashes of the sword. Truth be told, Suzaku knew he stood no chance against all three of them. Not with the Lancelot's energy levels so low and that he was carrying Lelouch. His best bet was to hold out till Lelouch's ride got here.
When he got a good distance away Suzaku fired of the VARIS Rifle again, however, the large frame was able to weave around the green energy shots before any made contact. Suzaku was able to move the Lancelot out of the way before the giant sword was able to strike him…
Only to barely dodge a streak of black and red energy from destroying the Lancelot and the two of them. He turned in the direction to see the Mordred aiming its large cannon at him. He had an opening to try and take out the Mordred while it recharged. Aiming the VARIS Rifle, the red Knightmare got in his sights…
Only for the Tristan to strike from behind with a kick to the Lancelot's back. The attack jostled Suzaku in his seat and Batman struggled to hang on from the outside. Bringing out his MVS Suzaku was barely able to block Gino's slash as the Tristan pushed against the Lancelot.
Now Suzaku knew the reason Gino was made a Knight of the Round!
"Why Suzaku!?" Gino cried as the two's blades continued to struggle against each other. "Why would you throw away everything you've worked so hard for!? Throwing away everything you are!? Why are you betraying us!?"
"I never betrayed Britannia!" Suzaku fired back as he maneuvered the Lancelot out of the blade lock and delivered a spin kick to Gino's frame. "I betrayed my people, my friends, my beliefs, the woman I love! But I'm done betraying who I am in some naive pursuit that things can change from within! What I've come to release is for something to change on the inside, things have to change from the outside!"
After he finished his declaration, his Geass command to 'live' flared in his eyes, and he moved just in time to avoid a slash from the Galahad. He brought his sword down to strike, only for the large blade to knock the smaller sword from the Lancelot's hand.
"Your belief that Britannia can change was naive from the beginning!" Bismark declared as he pursued the retreating Lancelot. "Britannia will continue to be the most powerful nation in the world, continuing to put down all those who seek to rebel against our empire! Because we are superior to all those who are weak!"
Gino cringed slightly when he heard that statement. He was never truly that big of a fan of Britannia's discrimination practices, even though he was a noble. But he still served the Empire with great pride, believing that maybe he could change that view. His ideals were only surpassed by Suzaku.
Until now it seemed.
As the Galahad continued to swing at the Lancelot, the white Knightmare attempted to get a distance to fire the VARIS. When he did he pulled the trigger, but not energy shot came out. Looking over to where the warning lights were going off, he cursed when he saw the Lancelot's power levels had just reached critical, meaning that he couldn't work any functions other than flight and movement. And they were already running out fast!
"Lelouch!" Suzaku called to his passenger as he managed to fly above the attacking rounds. "I'm too low on power to keep this up any longer! How long until that ride gets here?!"
"I don't know! I don't have a tracker to tell me how far it is from here!" Lelouch called back as he held onto the white frame for dear life. "Should be here soon, so just hold on for a little longer!"
"Easier said than done," Suzaku muttered to himself as he dodged another attack from the Tristan, only to be slammed in the side by the Galahad. Before he could he regain his balance the Mordred fire and the blast hit the Lancelot's lower section. The metal legs began to melt in the power hardon beam of the Mordred.
When the beam ended, the Lancelot's legs were now nothing but a messy hunk of liquid metal, and the Knightmare itself began to descend straight into the face of a building currently under reconstruction. Suzaku tried to pull up on the controls but it was no use, the Lancelot was now completely out of power.
Suddenly, the hatch to the cockpit opened up, a black claw cut the restraints from Suzaku's seat and ripped him out of the cockpit. He then heard the faint sound of rocket boosters being fired off and saw that he was now rising above the fiery Lancelot. He saw as the Lancelot collided into the building and erupt in a burst of flames.
Looking up, he saw Lelouch struggling to hold him as they descended to the top of the building the Lancelot crashed into. The bullet in his shoulder was affecting his control as he and Suzaku landed ungracefully on the top of the building, rolling around for a moment before coming to a stop.
"Remind me to kill Llyod for not installing an ejection system into the Lancelot next time I see him!" Suzaku moaned as he made his way to his feet.
"Will that be before or after he kills you for destroying his masterpiece?" Lelouch huffed as he made his way to his feet. Suzaku merely glared at his friend before he heard the sound of approaching Knightmares.
Quickly making their way to the exit of the roof, they were stopped when the Mordred fired a smaller powered beam to cut them off. The pair then tried to make a beeline for an emergency staircase when a sword from the Tristan landed right in their path. They turned only to be met with the edge of the building.
They both turned around to gaze at the three Knights that held them cornered. If Lelouch's shoulder didn't currently have a bullet in it, he could easily fly both of them in the building to try and avoid the Knights, but that idea was out of the window.
"Kururugi!" Came the loud imposing voice of the Knight of One through the Galahad's speakers. "When will you cease this foolish action and hand over the Emperor's murderer. If you do so, you will be granted at the very most, an honorable death. Is that such a thing that you Eleven's are seeking? To die with honor?"
Suzaku looked toward the three Knightmares of some of the best pilots in the entire Empire, a position he was in and held with pride. Then he looked behind him to his friend, who was clutching his shoulder in pain, the friend who murdered the woman he loved, the friend he betrayed. He then looked back to the Knightmares with an almost somber look in his eyes.
"Not that long ago," He began quietly, "That's what I would've wanted: an honorable death serving a cause I believed in." He then glared at the Knightmares with his eyes now filled with a burning determination. "But now, I will not allow myself to die! Not until I accomplish my goals of making this world a better place!"
His words shocked all those present, even Lelouch, who stared up at his friend in awe. Suzaku looked into the ravened-haired boy's eyes, a smile donned on his face. "That is why I refuse to abandon Lelouch!" He declared. "I refuse to give him up to gain an Honorable death! I would rather die without honor in fighting for a cause I truly believe in, than with honor betraying another!"
He then glared at the Knightmares with a smirk on his face. "So you just take your request and shove that piece of nonsense up your tailpipe! Because I will never bow down to anyone anymore who I know in good conscience is an evil and wicked man!"
All the knights present were taken greatly aback by that statement. A Knight of the round had just declared the nation he served as wicked and evil. And was willing to stand by a man who killed the woman he loved.
Bismark then sighed. "Very well." He said. Then, he raised his Knightmare's blade high above its head. "Then drown in the depths of the pit which you and that boy willingly threw yourselves in!"
Suzaku merely closed his eyes and got ready to met his end. Lelouch followed suit.
Then, as if by some sign from high that they hadn't been abandoned yet, a beeping went off on Batman's utility belt. Looking down, his eyes widened as he saw the blinking red light was now solid green. Looking off into the distance, he saw a black sleek vehicle fastly approaching their position.
Looking back at the Knightmares, he shouted as he grabbed Suzaku by the arm. "NOT TODAY!"
He then did something no one would expect of someone in his position: he jumped! With Suzaku held tightly to him! Suzaku screamed in surprise by his friend's action.
"ARE YOU CRAZY!?" Suzaku shouted.
"I dress up as a bat what do you think?!" Lelouch countered back.
They almost came into impact with the ground when Lelouch did a front roll, fired his jet boots to slow them down, and landed feet first in the cockpit of the flying vehicle, with Suzaku landing, surprisingly, on his face.
Lelouch acted instantly and gripped the control of the vehicle. "Manual control engaged." a robotic voice said. Then, using all his strength, which was killing his shoulder, he pulled back on the control sticks.
The vehicle then slowed down while it fired multiple boosters from its front underside at maximum power, lifting it upward. Lelouch struggled against the gravity, the instant change in direction, and the pain as he pulled the vehicle up from crashing into the building.
Thankfully, he was able to pull the vehicle fully up before it crashed into the building, with only a small scratch. The vehicle then rocketed upward at incredible speed, glass was shattering as it flew upward past the Knightmares and into the sky. The strong gust of wind was even able to have the Knightmares back up slightly.
"WH-WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT?!" Cried Gino as he gazed up at the machine that flew past them.
Bismark merely growled. "Lady Alstreim," Bismark called to the Knight of Six, "Analyze that aircraft!"
Anya did as she was told and began scanning the machine. "It's not an aircraft," she reported, confusing those present, "At least, not any known one in the database. Its design is not conventional with a typical aircraft. And it's speed-" Anya gasped.
"What?!" Gino asked, concerned when he heard his friend gasp. "What about its speed?!"
After a moment of silence, Anya finally spoke, which shocked those present. "Mach 3."
The eyes of the two other knights, even Bismark, widened substantially. Mach 3 was the fastest known speed able for man to achieve at the moment. And barely any sort of Vehicle held capabilities of reaching that speed. So how in the world did Batman get his hands on it?
"What is that machine?!"
"Batmobile," Lelouch called to his machine, "Do a system check. Make sure all systems are ready!" He then began to do his checklist of the machine.
"Yes, sir." The computer responded as it began its task.
"You know," came the groaning of one Suzaku Kururugi as he stood up, his stomach feeling sick, "Next time you plan of jumping off a building with no way to fly, make a one-in-a-million landing in the cockpit of a flying car, and then do a J turn, warn me please."
Lelouch simply smirked. "Where's the fun in that?" Suzaku merely groaned at that question, while Lelouch turned his head back to the computer.
"All systems functional, ready to proceed when ready sir." The computer answered.
"Perfect." He said while smiling in anticipation. "Hang on to something Suzaku, cause we're gonna do something crazy. Also, stay close to the chair, its gonna get a little crowded in here."
"Please tell me you not gonna do any more crazy maneuvers in this thing?" Suzaku pleaded with his friend.
"Nope!" Lelouch assured his friend. "Something even crazier. Remember the Shinkiro, the Knightmare I had to tear apart to make this?"
Suzaku slowly nodded, not understanding what Lelouch was saying.
Lelouch then smirked. "Well, let's say that I kept at least one feature from the Shinkiro that I transferred to the Kōmori." He then turned back to the viewscreen.
"Batmobile: TRANSFORM!"
What happened next, no one expected.
The mysterious vehicle had then begun to separate and change its shape. Arms, legs were extending from the vehicle. Blades began extending from its forearms, and hands were beginning to form. A slide pulled back, and a head that greatly resembling a bat emerged. Then, crimson red energy wings emerged in the shape of a bat's wings. The vehicle turned Knightmare spread out its arms and wings, stuck its feet together, and positioned itself in front of the full moon. The light it was giving off made it seem like more of a bat.
Those present could not help but be amazed at the sight they just beheld. Gino especially. "Okay," He began calmly, "I know he killed our Emperor and committed a lot of horrible acts against our country. But," Her then screamed with excitement, "DANG THAT WAS SO AWESOME!"
Bismark merely growled at the Knight of Three's childish behavior. The standard for Knights has dropped greatly in the past decade.
"It doesn't matter!" He declared as he sent the Galahad charging after the bat-like Knightmare. "You will still burn for murdering our Emperor! You commoner blood!"
The Kōmori then raced down to meet the Galahad, moving as fast as the Guren S.T.E.I.N. Without his Geass, the Knight of One was at a slight disadvantage. But he wasn't made the most powerful knight because of that Geass, it was his reward. The Galahad brought its sword up to strike.
But in the blink of an eye, the Kōmori brought its left arm up and blocked the blade with its forearm blades. The sword struggled to get free, but it wouldn't budge. The Kōmori then swatted the blade away and gave a right cross the Galahads face then a roundhouse that sent it crashing on the roof of the building.
"What the?!" Gino exclaimed in shock. In all his time as a Round, he never saw anyone, lay a finger on the Knight of One, much less knock him down! That made him a little intimidated by this opponent.
Anya didn't deter, however. She aimed the Mordred's main cannon and fired at full power. The Kōmori though made no move to evade the attack. Instead, it brought it's red energy wings in front of it and the crimson streak hit it dead on. When the beam of energy ceased due to lack of power, to their great astonishment, the Kōmori was still present, not melted into a pile of scrap, where it was, then charged the Mordred at full speed.
Anya couldn't help but gasp, "But how-"
"Did I stop your Hardon beam?" A voice that came from the Kōmori answered her unspoken question. "Well turns out that I kept two features from the Shinkiro." Lelouch meant that the absolute defense system the Rakshata developed. He couldn't apply it to the whole Knightmare, but the energy wings were enough.
The Mordred was barely able to dodge the strike from the Kōmori. However, when it turned back around, the bat Knightmare had pulled something from its utility belt. It resembled the VARIS rifle, so much that Anya believed it was one. The Knightmare fired the weapon and a white ball of energy made its way to her.
Anya closed her eyes so she wouldn't see, but death did not come for her. Instead, the white ball of energy had begun short-circuiting her Knightmares systems. As she tried to move the controls, she found that the Mordred would not respond.
"The Remote Electric Charge Gun," Lelouch explained, smiling as he did so, "Or the REC gun. Capable of powering up dead generators, or deactivating ones already on. Also, it is capable of short-circuiting a Knightmare for a brief period, stunning it."
Warning lights then went off as the Kōmori turned to see the Tristan charging straight at it. However, the black Knightmare was faster as it did a backflip to avoid the charging strike. It then proceeded to dodge and evade the following attacks from Gino's frame.
"The electronics in the batsuit connecting to the Knightmare," Lelouch began explaining as he continued to maneuver the machine around Gino's strikes, "Allows for high-performance output from the machine. Giving it speed and reflexes that rival, and quite possibly, surpasses that of the Guren and the Lancelot!"
At that last statement, the Kōmori caught the Tristan's blades in its bare hands in the blink of an eye. Then, it crushed the blades within its hands and delivered a series of fast punches and kicks to the Tristan and knocked it away.
The warning system went off and Lelouch was just able to bring the Kōmori's arm blades up to block an attack from the charging, and furious, Knight of One's Knightmare. The momentum was enough to push the Kōmori and Galahad onto a nearby building. When they made contact the Knightmares skidded across the room until the Galahad had the Kōmori at the edge with its sword still on its arm blades.
"You think you can stop Britannia!?" The Knight of One roared as he applied more pressure onto the bat-like frame. "You are just two meaningless individuals against an Empire that rules over a third of the world! Why do you even fight?!"
Lelouch struggled to push up, but his injured shoulder kept him from doing exerting the amount of strength needed. Then, a hand covered Lelouch's left arm. Lelouch looked over to see Suzaku was giving Lelouch the strength he needed to continue. The two smiled at each other before glaring at the Galahad.
Together they declared: "BECAUSE NO ONE ELSE WILL!"
At that, the Kōmori's extended its MVBs, and with a swipe of its arms, sliced the large blade of the Galahad in two!
The Knight of One's eyes were never blown so open. Lelouch vi Britannia and Suzaku Kururgi had both grown into formidable foes, ones that could even challenge the entire Empire.
In his state of astonishment, the Kōmori then delivered with its right hand a powerful uppercut that was able to knock the head off the Knightmares body. Then, it extended its MVCs and sliced into the power source of the Galahad, shutting the frame down.
Before the Kōmori could soak in its victory over the strongest knight in Britannia, the Tristan had charged them and forced them to take off, red bat energy wings extended as it moved to avoid the attacks. It then grabbed an outstretched hand and did an arm throw that threw the Tristan a distance from them and off-balance.
Taking advantage of this opening, the Kōmori reached into its utility belt and pulled out a blue glowing object with what seemed like frozen air coming out of it. It then threw the object toward the Tristan.
The Tristan turned around and planned to crush the object in its hands. But when it made contact, the object exploded in a cyan colored cloud. A moment later, the cyan cloud cleared, leaving the metallic arm right arm of the Tristan covered with ice spikes sticking out from the elbow down. "What?! But how?!" Gino cried as temperature warning signs went crazy in his Knightmare.
"A high-powered sub-zero temperature projectile," Lelouch answered. Gino frowned in confusion, a what? Lelouch sighed. "Or, in simple terms, a freeze blast. It releases chemicals that create a cloud that makes everything in its radius turn instantly sub-zero. Great of solidifying water, or for making robust material fragile. So I can do this!"
He pulled out a Batarang from the Kōmori's utility belt and threw it toward the Tristan's frozen metallic arm. The metallic limb shattered as the bat-like object collided with it. He then gave a Suzaku styled spin kick to Tristan's head, knocking it downward. The Kōmori then fired its four claw harkens. Three gripped the remaining limbs while the fourth made its way around the waist.
Lelouch shouted as he began to spin the Tristan around as he made his way back to the stunned Mordred. When the Mordred finally was able to move again, it was met with a surprise as the Tristan collided with it. The Kōmori kept spinning them until it finally released and threw them onto the roof of a building.
As the Kōmori stood victoriously above its enemies, the duo in the Knightmare couldn't help but be amazed. They went up against some of the three best warriors in Britannia, including the Knight of One, and came out on top.
However, their moment of victory was ruined when the Kōmori's sensors went off again. Turning to the source of the warning, the two could faintly see small black objects in the distance. Lelouch then magnified the image and sighed.
"What's wrong?" Suzaku asked.
"We've got incoming," Lelouch stated as he then showed the image to Suzaku, causing the boy to gasp. "Lots and lots of incoming."
"I think that's an understatement!" Suzaku clarified.
And it was
It almost seemed as if the entire Britannian military in Japan and Black Knight forces present were conveying on the bat-like Knightmare. Lelouch could even see the Shen Hu in the ranks along with the Gekkas.
"What are we gonna do now?" Suzaku asked. "We can't exactly fight an entire army."
"Don't worry." Lelouch simply said. Suzaku stared at his friend in bewilderment. Lelouch merely smirked like a demon. "I have a plan."
"You do?"
"Well," Lelouch began innocently, "I may or may not have kept one last feature from the Shinkiro."
As the large forces of Knightmares charged toward the bat-like Knightmare frame, Li couldn't help but be disgusted with himself.
Though he had doubts about Zero from the beginning, and his little stunt with Tianzi when he placed a gun to her head, he had grown to respect the masked man, Especially after he saved his and Tianzi's lives. But when he learned the truth of who he was, he felt like a fool for trusting a man like that!
And he believed he could just put on a new mask and have a new name and it makes him a hero. That boy is a fool!
And he was going to make Zero/Batman/Lelouch pay for his actions!
As he and the Black Knights, along with the Britannian forces accompanying them, closed in on the Bat-like machine, his eye caught something strange as the Machine began to move.
Zooming in, he saw the bat-symbol on the machine's chest began to open. When it did, Li felt a sense of undesiring memories bubble to the surface of his mind. Then, all of a sudden, the machine shot out a familiar prism-like object.
"All units scatter!" Li shouted as he began to take evasive actions. Last time a Knightmare owned by Lelouch shot out a prism-like that, an entire army of Chinese Knightmares were eliminated. And it seemed the coward out to commit the same act again. He knew that change of heart was a lie.
However, instead of firing a beam of lasers, as Li expected, the bat-like machine fired a beam of light. When the light hit the prism, the entire area was enveloped in a blinding light that caused every one to see white for the next couple of moments.
When the white light disappeared from their vision, they saw the bat-like frame was now gone.
Inside his Knightmare, Li had to admit, he was impressed. 'He managed to incapacitate us and did so without damaging our Knightmares, or killing us.' He thought as he stared at the spot where the bat-like machine was once located.
'Maybe the boy had changed?' Li thought as he just stared at where the Bat-like Knightmare once was. 'Or maybe not?'
"What the heck was that?!" Suzaku asked as the cloaked Kōmori made its way over to the Bat-bunker.
"Well, I kept the prism that would project lasers in all directions when I hit it with a beam weapon," Lelouch explained. "But instead of hitting it with lasers, I hit it with a light that sent it around the battlefield, blinding everyone in its range."
"So you turned a muti-enemy killer into a giant disco ball that blinds people?" Suzaku smirked. Lelouch frowned that one of his greatest applications to the Kōmori was being compared to something used at dance parties.
"In simple terms, yes," Lelouch confirmed. "But now we've got bigger problems. Schneizal and the Balck Knights high command know who I am. While I expected this would happen, I thought it would be after we took down Schneizal."
"Do you think Schneizal will tell the public who you are?" Suzaku asked a serious question.
"No," Lelouch simply stated, "If he does that, then the public will most likely turn support to me because I do save people, not caring if I was a Britannian Prince. Also, he'll most likely use this information to blackmail me when he gets the chance again."
"So what do we do now?" Suzaku asked. Lelouch groaned as the pain in his shoulder came back.
"Well for starters," He said as he massaged his shoulder, "We're gonna head back to the bat-bunker and patch up my shoulder, the thing is killing me! As for what we're gonna do about Schneizal…" Lelouch's face fell slightly. "I don't know. We can't make any significant move against him with the knowledge he has."
"Well…" Suzaku began with a devious smirk of his own. "We do have something that may be able to slow him down."
Lelouch looked at his friend in confusion for a moment. But before he could ask what in the world Suzaku was talking about, the nearby TV caught his attention.
"Have you found any trace of them?" Schneizal asked. His tone was that of a completely calm man, but inside, he was livid. He underestimated Lelouch and Suzaku's loyalty to each other, and their will to keep fighting.
"Nothing Your Highness!" an officer answered. "Whatever that light was, it blinded our sensors along with our visual capabilities. And the city cameras aren't picking up anything either."
Schneizal uncharacteristically growled. 'You've been busy haven't you, Lelouch?'
"Prince Schneizal!" A voice called from down the hall. Turning to the source, Shneizal's eyes widen slightly when he saw Kanon running toward him. When he reached the Prince, he placed his hands went to his knees and was breathing heavily.
"What is it Kanon?" Schneizal asked. He had last ordered Kanon to look over the cleanup and make sure their alliance with the Black Knights were still intact. So he wouldn't come running to him if it wasn't important.
'When the faithful servant regained his breath, he frantically told Schneizal. "Turn on the news channel! NOW!" If his actions didn't convince Schneizal of Kanon's worry, his voice sure did.
He turned back to the security officer and nodded for him to comply.
When the large TV was replaced with the news Schneizal was able to see what caused Kanon with such great worry. Because it caused himself to be filled with his worry.
A few minutes ago
"Good evening world! I'm Milly Ashford here to give you breaking news on a pressing subject concerning our nation of Britannia's royal family."
People watching the news broadcast noticed the usual energetic newswoman held none of her cheerful attitudes. Meaning something must have unsettled her.
"Recently we have learned that the eleventh prince of the Empire Lelouch vi Britannia is alive and was sent to be executed for the murder of the Emperor in an apparent attempt for the throne. However, we have just learned from an anonymous source that Britannia's own Second Prince may not be the so-called white and pure individual we believe him to be."
"Be advised: the images you are about to see are of real people. This is not doctored footage or some hacker playing a sick game. This is real life. So please, keep any of your children from viewing these if you can."
With that, the TV screens had begun to show the same lab that Lelouch and Suzaku saw as they watch the videos of the test subjects.
"Phosphorus test #34." A scientist's voice came from the video. He then moved over to a man strapped in a table with a syringe in his hand. The man thrashed against the restraints trying t get loose, but the effort was in vain, and the scientist was able to inject the substance in the needle into the man's throat.
Almost immediately, the man's body began to burst into flames. He seemed to be stable for a moment, but then cries of pain came from his throat. And then his flesh was reduced to ash.
"Test #34 is the same as the previous 33." The scientist reported as he continued writing down the lab report. "Thankfully Prince Schneizal is continually presenting us with numerous rounds of subjects, or as he calls them 'volunteers'. Heh! I'll never know how he was able to convince them to come to sign up for this."
The people-watching, Britannians and Japanese alike, gasped in horror at what they had just witnessed.
Meanwhile, the Black Knights were currently watching the 'Scarecrow' video, detailing the fear toxin that Kallen was injected with. If looks could kill, the men who made that toxin would be dead a hundred thousand times over. While Rakshata held a look of absolute disgust.
"W- what is the meaning of this?" Ohgi said out loud as his eyes were blown wide open at what he just saw.
"I don't know." Tohdoh said, as his ever stoic personality was blown sky-high as he watched the video of the 'Joker' project. "I don't know."
"Continue with the experiments doctor, I want to see better results." Said a familiar voice that neither of the Black Knights had trouble recognizing.
"Prince Schneizel, that's your voice," Kanon muttered as they watched the broadcast. Schneizel gave an uncharacteristic growl at his aid's comment.
"Oh really Kanon," Schneizel growled, sarcasm filled his voice, "I didn't know what my voice sounded like, thanks for clearly pointing it out."
Kanon merely had adopted a look of terror in his eyes. "Wh-what I mean is what will we do now?" He asked, trying to regain his voice. "Once the homeland sees this, they are most likely to throw execute you, despite being the Prime minister of the Empire and a prince."
Schneizel gave it a quick thought over in his mind. After a moment, he proceeded to walk out of the room with Kanon following behind, away from eyes and ears. "Contact the Damocles and tell them to prepare to fire when ready."
Kanon merely had his mouth open when he suggested that. 'Now?! This soon?!' Was plastered over his face as he gazed as the Second Prince. The look in Schneizel's eyes was all the confirmation he needed.
He gulped down a lump he didn't know he had as he nodded. "What will be the target of the weapon, Your Highness?"
Lelouch could only stare at his friend in shock mixed with amazement. Somehow, Suzaku had developed a sound plan against Schneizel, all on his own! Maybe he had learned from his time with Lelouch?
"This was your idea?!" Lelouch asked in disbelief. Suzaku only smirked. "How did you come up with this?!"
"Well since you were the one now running into situations without thinking, someone had to use their brains," Suzaku stated in a matter-of-factly way that made Lelouch groan in annoyance. Was he becoming like Suzaku? "So I called Milly and had her be the one to broadcast the information off the computer I found in the lab. You know, so we both wouldn't get executed for attacking a Prince without reason."
"And did you believe this would stop Schneizel?" Lelouch asked.
After a moment of silence, Suzaku responded. "No. I'm not that naive anymore. But I knew this would at the very least slow him down, and cause some major players to lose trust in him. Mostly, it would cause him to be turned against the whole world, mainly because he was the one who came up with the idea of banning human test subjects against their will."
Lelouch smiled proudly. "I'm impressed Suzaku," He declared, "That was smart thinking, worthy of Zero." He smiled in humor as he made his last statement. "Especially if the one who came up with it is an idiot."
Suzaku gave off a disgusted scoff. "An idiot?!" He yelled incredulously. "And whose idea was it to charge the Viceroy Palace alone!?"
The rant continued as they made their way to the Bat- bunker.
"THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE!" Lloyd cried as he watched the video footage of the human experiments.
"I know, it's horrible! All those people!" Cecile said as she held her hands over her mouth trembling.
"What?! I'm not talking about the people!" Lloyd stated. "I'm talking about the fact that Schneizel went and invested funds into genetics when that money should have gone over to our department so we could make more advancements!"
Cecile's horror was now replaced with great frustration. She growled as she held squeezed her knuckles so hard they were turning white.
She'd had enough!
"LLOYD! FOR ONCE IN YOUR PATHETIC LIFE CAN YOU PLEASE CARE ABOUT SOMETHING OTHER THAN YOUR KNIGHTMARES!? IS THAT TOO MUCH TO ASK?!" Cecile roared in fury, causing Lloyd's eyes to widen at the sudden fury in his assistant's voice.
Cecile then breathed to calm herself down after her outbursts. She had to admit, that felt so good!
Meanwhile, in Britannia's capital, Peradragon, all the members of the royal family, besides Lelouch, Schneizel, and Cornelia, were in the middle of a discussion. The topics included Lelouch's return and Schneizel's actions.
"I say we kill him!" Carine voiced out. She was usually one of the more violent of the siblings.
"I agree, but who?" Guinevere asked, the oldest daughter of the Emperor's many, many, children. "Lelouch did kill the Emperor, but that would make him the next Emperor under the Regicide act. And while Schneizel is the Prime minister, even he wouldn't be able to wiggle his way out of this scandal."
"What do you believe in Odessyan?" Castor asked the eldest of the children.
The said first prince sweat in nervousness. While he was the oldest, he was never the smartest or most ambitious of the children. He usually deferred politics and military efforts to people like Schneizel and Cornelia.
However since Schneizel was the topic of this said discussion, he couldn't defer to him for help. He had to make this decision for himself, and that terrified him.
Before he could even speak, however, a servant burst into the room, a look of terror in his eyes. "Your Highnesses!"
"What is it you want your worm?" Pollux, Castor's twin brother asked annoyed at the interruption. "We are in the middle of an important discussion."
"F-forgive me!" The servant stuttered. "But an unidentified object is on a collision with the Imperial Palace!"
The princes and princesses' eyes widened significantly.
"How long until impact?!" A random princess asked.
All hearts of those in the room dropped at the servant's next sentence.
"30 seconds!"
"ARGH!"
"Sorry! Sorry!" Suzaku said as he messed up a stitch. "I've had first aid training in the military, but this is honestly the first time I'm trying it on an actual person."
"I can see that," Lelouch muttered as he sat there with the top portion of his batsuit off.
"How'd the bullet even pierce the suit? Isn't it supposed to be bulletproof?" Suzaku asked as he began threading another stitch.
"It is, but-ow!" Lelouch exclaimed, followed by another sorry from Suzaku. "But, Schneizel must have figured out that materials made with Sadakarite can pierce the suit's armor, and had soldiers start carrying firearms with rounds in them."
"Well, your lucky it wasn't anywhere else," Suzaku commented as he looked to where the bullet was pulled out. "An inch or two anywhere else and you'd probably have to bleed out before we got back here. Or that you didn't get an infection."
"Yeah, lucky," Lelouch muttered, his tone slightly depressed. He heard that a lot over his life. Lucky that he survived the bombings, pulling off his miracles, and narrowly escaping death. But how long until his luck finally runs out.
"Aaannnddd… Done!" Suzaku said as he put the tweezers down. "That should hold for now. But we may want to get an expert before you do anything too strenuous."
"Do you know of anyone who would be willing to help an exiled Prince that murdered the Emperor of Britannia, and a Rogue knight of the Round?" Lelouch asked rhetorically as he put on a black long sleeve shirt that hugged his body well.
"I was honestly hoping you did," Suzaku replied truthfully.
"Well we can worry about that later," Lelouch said as he made his way to sit at the chair for the bat computer, the news playing on in the background on mute. "Right now we need to focus on how we're gonna take advantage of the confusion and backlash of that Schneizel's facing."
"Got any idea of how best we can do that?" Suzaku asked as he stood beside the chair.
"I have a few," Lelouch commented as he began to look up schematics for different plans. "I'll want your input before I decide on anything though."
Ask Lelouch continued bringing up different plans, Suzaku stared at the screen that held Milly on it, and he couldn't help but smile. Though he had wanted to go through it by the military, he was using an aspect of Britannia to change it. Though he was using it to reveal a secret of the said empire, it felt good to at least honor a part of his previous-
Wait!
Something is wrong!
Something big happened! Something bad!
"Lelouch," Suzaku called, snapping Lelouch out of his trance, "Pull the news on the main monitor and turn it up." Confused at what Suzaku was thinking, but following nonetheless, he pulled up the news on the main screen. And saw what Suzaku was getting at.
Milly's face morphed from confusion into one of horror as she placed her hand on the earpiece to make sure it was functioning properly.
"-wait come again, Gene? What did you just say?!" Milly asked, the worry still present in her voice. After a moment, she straightened herself and put on a strained face of professionalism.
"We've just received breaking news!" Milly said, bracing herself for what she was about to say next. "Peradragon, the capital of the Holy Britannian Empire, has just been destroyed!"
Lelouch shot up in his seat. His and Suzaku's eyes went wide. What did she just say?!
"I repeat, the city of Peradragon, Britannia's capital has been completely obliterated!"
Those watching on the streets gasped in horror. The Britannians began shaking uncontrollably. Their capital was destroyed? How could this be?!
"A bird's eye view revealed that the city was destroyed by the same weapon that obliterated the Tokyo Settlement in Area 11 over 6 months ago."
A video was then shown in the air in the outskirts of Peradragon. A second later, the same pink orb erupted from the Imperial Palace and enveloped the rest of the city. What remained was nothing but an empty crater where the capital of the most powerful empire in the world once was.
"We don't have a full list of casualties, but it seems that all those present in the city were killed by the strange blast. Including the majority of the Royal family."
The Black Knights looked in horror as another city was destroyed by the same blast that took the Tokyo Settlement.
Kallen was shaking in fear of her own, as her father was in the capital on business. Hopefully, he didn't get caught up in the blast zone. But that hope was unlikely at the moment.
"We currently have no identity of who was responsible for this attack. The Black Knights, the EU, and the Chinese Federation have refused to take credit for this atrocity."
The screen had then begun to glitch out slightly.
"Wait? Da-vh- wh-vz go-jxzzk, on?!" The picture of Milly at a news desk was then replaced with a dark background that resembled a Viceroy Palace's throne room. And there on the throne stood one figure as the light began to come on.
"My fellow Britannians, and my foreign friends. I am Schneizel el Britannia, and I am here to make a declaration." The prince said as he took a deep breath for drama's sake. "I am the one responsible for Peradragon's destruction!"
Throughout the world, all minds went blank.
How could this be? How could a Prince of Britannia, and it's Prime Minister no less, destroy his own Empire's capital? His own family and citizens?
"Many of you are wondering why I did such an act of slaughter." Schneizel stated, "The answer is simple: for peace."
Peace? PEACE?! Schneizel destroyed a city full of innocent people for that sake of peace!?
"The world as we all know it is full of struggles: war," at that an image of Knightmares belonging to two opposite sides were destroying each other, "hunger," an image of a starving village and it's people suffering from lack of food, "famine," a village and it's people suffering from fatal illnesses and then dying off, "and some many others." Many more atrocities began showing on the televisions across the world.
"Do you know why we are all plagued with these atrocities? Why do we continue to suffer from these viruses that destroy us?" Schneizel asked rhetorically. "The answer is simple: we as human beings, are mindless savages."
That statement caused an uproar around the world.
"We seek to answer conflicts we have through violence, and that solves nothing but leaves death and destruction in its wake," Schneizel explained before smiling proudly. "However that all changes today! May I present to you: the Damocles!"
At that statement, an image then appeared on all the screens in the world. It caused the world to gasp. There in the clouds, was a flying fortress that was in the shape of a sword almost.
"The Damocles is the first superweapon fully developed, and is armed with the same weapon that destroyed both the Tokyo Settlement and Peradragon: FLEIJA!" They all gasped that a weapon of that size was able to hold such destructive power in its arsenal.
Nina covered her hands in horror as she heard that statement. She was the one who created the FLEIJA, at first as a way to replace nuclear energy. Then she created as a weapon to kill Zero after he killed Princess Euphemia.
When the FLEIJA ended up destroying the Tokyo Settlement, she was horrified by the capabilities of that weapon. She then disappeared, hoping to run away from her shame and guilt.
But now that the very man that had decided to support her used her research as a way to hold the world hostage, the guilt and shame returned and threatened to crush her.
"With the Damocles, the world can then move into genuine peace," Schneizel stated from the throne room in the Viceroy Palace. "With this weapon's power, we can make sure that conflicts will be resolved swiftly and without such tragedies. It will fire on any city that refuses to see the peace that I am providing the people. Keeping the world in line."
The Second Prince rose from the throne and made his way closer to the camera. He stopped when he was within almost an arm's reach from the camera.
"My fellow human beings," Schneizel began, lifting his hand in front of the camera as if he was expecting those watching to reach their hands through the television and take hold of his. "I ask all of you, please join me in making sure we have everlasting peace!"
A/N: So there we have it! I'd like to make a few comments and notes over some reviews.
I've been seeing that a lot of people are criticizing me for having Lelouch's identity get reviled like that, but there is an explanation for that that will come in later chapters. Just bear with me.
And I know I made it seem like I made Lelouch a total boss in the fight with the Knights of the Round, but there are perfectly good reasons why he was able to win.
First: He currently has the most advanced Knightmare in the world at the moment, and it is decked out with multiple armaments. And no one truly knows what that machine is capable of. So he's got a load of surprises to test out on the bad guys.
Second: Suzaku told him the fighting styles and tactics of each Knight, so Lelouch has a good idea of how they fight and how best to counter their moves.
Third: Lelouch is a genius in combat, able to predict the moves and strategies of his opponents way before they make them. Plus with the combat and Knightmare training he's received, he rules the battlefield.
Fourth: Bismarck doesn't have his Geass anymore. Sure he was strong without it, but it still gives Lelouch a huge advantage over him now that someone can't see through his plans.
And fifth: Lelouch's mother was the knight of six and two! So that fact that he didn't have some Knightmare ace skills in his bloodlines drove me a bit crazy! So I'm making more apparent here.
And for the flying Batmobile transformation into the Kōmori, I didn't come up with that idea. That idea goes to Sunwolf27. Thanks for the idea!
Also yes I based the Batmobile off the one from Batman Beyond because this is a crossover between those two franchises.
And yes, the Kōmori's weapons are based on the gadgets from the Arkham franchise, and I included features from the Shinkiro in the Kōmori because the bat frame was made from that model. If you guys have any more features you want me to add, just tell me because I'm gonna give the most advanced Knightmare in the world an upgrade.
So anyway here's why I won't be updating for a while. When I first published this story, I had already written about 4 or 5 chapters out on a Google doc and have them releasing them weekly while I work on the new ones. But this one I just finished and I have yet started on the next one. So don't expect one next week, maybe.
Anyway, that's all for now, hope you enjoyed the chapter. See you next time.
One final note: this is my longest chapter yet. I now have a new respect for those who write long chaptered fanfictions.
Next time, Lelouch and Suzaku receive help from those who they never knew had their backs and Lelouch must regain his conviction to continue his mission. Meanwhile, Ohgi begins to see the consequences of trusting Schneizel.
